Button-setting machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. WOODWARD.

BUTTON SETTING MACHINE.

No. 477,847. Patented June 21,1892.

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Patented June 21, 1892.

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Patented June 21, 1892.

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NITED STATES AIT'ENT OFFICE.

ERASTUS XVOODWARD, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THECONSOLIDATED FASTENER COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

BUTTON-SETTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,347, dated June 21,1892.

Application filed February 29, T892. Serial No. 423,114. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, ERASTUS WoonwA n, of Somerville, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Button-Setting Machines, of which the following.is a full specification.

My invention consists of certain improved features of construction inmachines for automatically setting two-part buttons on cloth ing andother material, the two parts of the button consisting, first, of abutton-top with its riveting eyelet, which eyelet is to be pressedthrough the material, and, second, of

I 5 a washer within which the eyelet of the button-top is clinched bypressure.

My invention consists especially in the improved manner of feeding thebutton parts and of bringing them together in pairs at the point ofclinching. p

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows my improved machine in sideelevation. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail View inthe plane of a: at,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows in elevation the opposite side of the machine tothat shownin Fig. 1, part of the front thereof being shown in section.Fig. 4. is a top plan view of the machine. Fig. 5 is a front elevationof the lower portion of the machine, or that part which has to do withthe separation and upward motion of the button-washers. Fig. 6 is atransverse section through the buttontop raceway, showing a button-toptherein. Fig. 7 is a similar section through the washer- 5 raceway witha washer therein, and Fig. 8

shows in plan the end of the button-top raceway.

A is the standard, and A the base-plate of my improved machine, which isbolted to the table B.

A is the plunger-casing at the front of the lower portion of thestandardA, while A is the socket for the upper dieat the top of thestandard.

F is the plunger, which moves up and down in the plunger-casing, beingpivotally c0nnected at f with the piece F, which is in turn pivoted at fto the end of the lever G G. This lever G G is fixed on the shaft g,which has its bearings between the side pieces A A at the bottom of theplunger-casing, thus forming a fulcrum'to the lever. The outer rear endof the lever G G is connected with a suitable treadle or other actuatingdevice adapted to give an np-and-down motion to said lever, from which.all the moving parts of the machine derive their motion.

E is the lower die, the base E of which rests on the plunger F, beingprovided with the pin e, which,as the plunger moves up and down, travelsin the slot o The piece F has the forwardly-projecting portion F betweenwhich and the pin e is fixed the spring F which draws down the lower dieon the downstroke of the plunger.

L is the sleeve, which is set into the top of the plunger-casing A andis held therein by the screw E? The sleeve L is surmounted by the tableL, preferablyintegral therewith, on which table the material rests whichis to receive the buttons. The interior opening which passes through thesleeve and table forms a passage-way of corresponding diameter to thatof the die E, within which passage-way the said die moves up and down.

C is the inclined raceway for the buttonwashers T, being, in thetransverse section shown in Fig. 7, of a size to hold said washersloosely therein. This raceway is stationary, being held by the bracketC, which is screwed or bolted to the side of the standard A. Theinclination'of the raceway is such as to cause any washers held thereinto readily move downward to the lowest point thereof when noresistanceis opposed. The raceway C communicates indirectly with thepassageway through the sleeve. L, the level of the raceway-outlet beingjust above the top of the die E when in its lowest position, said outletbeing to one side of said die and not in direct line therewith, as shownin Fig. 2. The arrangement is such that the lowest washer in the racewayC rests on a plate N within an opening Zin the side wall of the sleeve Ladjacent to the die passage-way.

On the shaft 9 is fixed to turn therewith the arm R, at the outer end ofwhich at a" is pivoted anend of the bar R, the upper end of which bar ispivoted at r to the plate K which is fixed on the shaft K. The shaft Kpasses through the standard A, having bearings therein, and on theopposite side of the standard from the plate K is the cam P, Figs. 3 and5, fixed on the shaft K to turn therewith, so that as the lever G movesthe shaft g the cam P has an angular motion 011 the shaft K as a center.

N is an arm pivoted on the vertical spindle a, arising from the hub A*,which hub is integral with the standard. At the outer or forward end ofthe arm N is the block N, on the front face of which is fixed theseparatorplate N, which projects into the opening Z in the sleeve L, asshown in Figs. 2 and 5.

n is a cam-roll on the arm N which engages with the groove 19 in the camP, with the result that as the cam P moves back and forth angularly theseparator-plate N is given a reciprocating motion in the direction ofits length, being moved back and forth in the opening 1 across theoutlet of the raceway O, alternately opening and closing said outlet inthe manner and for the purpose presently to be detailed.

O is the stationary die held in the socket A in central axial line withthe movable die E. O is the set-screw which holds the die at any desiredheight, fixed by the screw 0.

D is the inclined button-top raceway secured to the bracket D, whichbracket is mounted on the shaft D in the sleeve A the sleevebeingintegral with the standard A.

D is a bell-crank lever loosely mounted on the shaft D, the upright armof which lever D is provided with the pin d.

d is a pin fixed in the bracket D, while a spiral spring D connects thepins (1 and d tending to draw them together.

d is a stop fixed in the face of the bracket D, against which theupright arm D Fig. 3, normally bears. The lower or forwardlyprojectiugarm of the bell-crank D as shown in Fig. 1, is provided at its forwardend with a cam-roll m, which engages with the cam K, fixed on the shaftK and fixed also on the face of the plate K so that the cam turns withsaid shaft. The cam is so shaped as to .give a vibratory motion to thebell-crank D the upper vertical arm of which, through the springconnection D causes the raceway D to vibrate about its central shaft D,alternately bringing the lower end D of the raceway up against thebottom of the die 0 and moving it down therefrom into the position shownin Figs. 1 and 3 when the machine is at rest.

The transverse section of the raceway D is shown in Fig. 6, thebutton-tops lying nearly vertical in said raceway, the upper plate ofwhich is concave, as shown. The construction and arrangement of theinclined raceway are such that the button-tops are adapted when slidinto the raceway at the upper end thereof to assume the positionindicated in Figs. 1 and 3, the head of each button-top overriding thatof the one next below. The passage of the shanks of the button-topsbetween the upper plates of the raceway D is turned at right angles atthe bottom of the erase? raceway, as plainly indicated in Fig. 8,thereby forming a shoulder (1 against which the lowermost button-toprests, with its riveting eyelet pointing directly downward and its headin the hollow pocket, as shown in Fig. 3, di-

rectly under the stationary die 0.

C is an arm pivoted at its upper end at D i on the sleeve or hub A H isa ratchet-wheel loosely mounted on the shaft K, which shaft has fixedthereon, as above described, the cam P.

H is a pawl pivoted at h to the outer face of the cam P and engagingwith said ratchetwheel.

0 is a hammer rigidly secured to the arm O while O is a stiff spring,one end of which is seated in the hammer 0 while the other is secured inthe eye 0 on a connection of the raceway C. The spring C keeps the lowerend of the arm 0 in engagement with the ratchet-wheel H, so that as thecam P in its angular vibration back and forth moves the pawl 11 thelatter gives motion to the ratchetwheel H in one direction, causingthearm C and the hammer O to vibrate, so that each time the arm 0 slipsover aratchet-tooth the hammer 0 under the influence of the spring 0sharply raps against the bottom of the raceway C, the succession'of rapsor jarring motion thus produced causing the washers contained in\ theraceway to be fed into place at the outlet thereof more positively thanwould otherwise be the case.

The operation of my machine is as follows: Starting with the parts inthe position of the machine at rest, with the plunger down, a washer ontop of the die E, the raceways O and D containing a column of washersand button-tops, respectively, and the movable the projecting finger 01out of line with the die E, which die passes upward, carrying the washerT under the material on the plate L, and then lifting both washer andmaterial up against the downwardly-projectingclinchingeyelet of thelowermost button-top S, resting in the pocket at the end of the racewayD. At the same time the movable raceway D rises before the die E andholds the head of the button firmly against the bottom of the die 0.

At the end of the upstroke of the plunger the clinching-eyelet ispressed through thematerial and clinched firmly in the washer at thebottom thereof. Meantime the separatorplate N in its side movementuncovers the outlet to the raceway 0, allowing the lowest washer thereinto move into the opening Z at one side of the path of the die E, and inthe IIO path of said separator-plate. The finger n when theseparator-plate is drawn out, projects across the top of the outlet tothe raceway 0 and prevents more than one washer from passing outtherefrom. Near the end of the downstroke of the plunger theseparatorplate moves inward, returning to the position shown in Fig. 2,and pushing the new washer in front of the face 41 onto the top of thedie E. After the button has been set on the material the racewayD movesdownward, carrying the button just fixed out of contact with the die 0,and the said button is removed from the pocket at the end of the racewayby a side pull of the material, allowing the next button to fall intothe pocket, and the parts of the machine are in position for arepetition of the operation when it is desired to set another button.

In the machine herein show the raceways are to be filled by hand, thoughautomaticallyfeeding hoppers may be employed, if desired, to do thiswork. With regard to the motion of the movable raceway D, the parts arepreferably so constructed and arranged that when, through the springconnection D the belLcrank D has moved the raceway upward till thebutton-head at the bottom thereof comes in contact with the bottom ofthe die 0 the said bell-crank has not reached the end of its stroke, butmoves a slight distance farther on, thus distending the spiral spring Dand causing the button-head to be pressed firmly upward against the die0 by springpressure. By this means, even when the button-heads vary insize and shape to some extent, they are in every case held firmlyagainst the clinching-die, irrespective of their thickness.

The separator-plate N is secured to the face of the block N by means ofthe screw n, and by having said plate provided with the slot n theposition of the plate may be adjusted.

I claim 1. In a button-setting machine, the combination of a stationarydie, an inclined buttontop raceway provided with a pivoted bracket, avibratory actuating-arm having a spring connection with said bracket,and a suitablyguided movable washer-bearing die working in line withsaidstationary die, substantially as described.

2. In a button-setting machine, the combination of a stationary die 0,an inclined vibratory button-top raceway D, having its lower end movablealternately to and from said stationary die, said raceway having ashank-conducting passage-way bent at substantially right angles at d atthe bottom thereof, whereby the lowermost button-top is held in theraceway beneath the die, and a suitably-guided movable washer-bearingdie, substantially as described.

3. In a button-setting machine, the combination of a stationary die,means for holding a button-head with its clinching-eyelet beneath saiddie, a sleeve L, having an interior guiding passage-way and anopeninglon one side of the passage-way, a washer-conducting raceway C,terminating in the opening Z, a washer-receiving plate N at the bottomof said opening, a movable die E, working in said passage-way, the topof said die being on a level with the outlet of the raceway when saiddie is at its lowest position, and a laterally-movable reciprocatingseparator-plate N alternately covering and uncovering theoutlet of saidraceway, whereby a washer on leaving the raceway passes first into theopening Z to one side of the guiding passage-way and is then fed ontosaid die, substantially as and 'for the purposes described.-

4; In a button-setting machine, a washerseparating device consisting ofthe combina* tion of the button-raceway D, a raceway C, a movable die E,a sleeve L, having an inner guiding passage-way within which said dieWorks and provided with the opening Z, in which said raceway terminateson one side of said passage-way, and the laterally-movable reciprocatingseparator-plate N, provided with the finger n engaging with the outletof the raceway, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ERASTUS WOODWARD. Witnesses:

E. H. GILMAN, ALBERT E. LEACH.

